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A strategic consulting firm with offices in USA and China has a venture capital arm that invests in life sciences. Alongside investments, the firm advises life science companies on strategic partnerships (manufacturers, distributors) in the Asian market by providing resources in the network. In addition to a $10M fund closed at the end of 2016, the firm has a new ¥1 billion RMB (approx. $150M US dollar equivalent) fund which invests majorly in China local healthcare companies or helps the companies outside of China grow well in Asia market. The firm is seeking five new investments within the next year, and typically makes $1M – $5M dollar investments per company in Series B and C rounds. The firm focuses on the startups in U.S., China, Canada, and Europe based companies, though is open to companies on a global-level.

The firm is indication agnostic and open to technology in all sectors of life science (medical devices, therapeutics, diagnostics, and digital health) while having the most experience in biotech/medtech. In terms of phase of development, the firm requires the company to at least have a prototype, and for therapeutics to be in clinical trials, preferably after Phase 2. The firm will also look at on-the-market products of medical device, lab equipment and drug development enabling technology.

The firm requires the company to be in Series A, B, or C. The firm prefers the company to have or seek to have their technology or products in Asia market.

A Seoul-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 and affiliated with a leading pharmaceutical company in South Korea closed their first fund in 2016 and has recently raised a second fund of approximately $60M USD. The firm has made 8 investments to date, in 3 Korean and 5 USA-based companies. The firm continues to seek global opportunities. The firm generally participates in financings of Series B and beyond, participating in Series A rounds on a case-by-case basis. However, the firm has started to look for earlier stage opportunities and is most interested in spin-out assets and forming new companies in South Korea. Within this angle, the firm is highly interested in companies who are interested in entering the Korean market and looking to leverage on the capital and clinical infrastructure in South Korea.

The firm is focused on therapeutics companies and does not invest in medical devices, diagnostics, or digital health. The firm is open to considering assets of very early stages, even those as early as lead optimization phase. The firm considers various modalities, including antibodies, small molecules, and cell therapy. Currently, the firm is not interested in gene therapy. Indication-wise, the firm is most interested in oncology and autoimmune diseases but has recently looked at fibrotic diseases and certain rare diseases as well.

With regards to companies raising a Series A round, the firm prefers working with experienced management teams with high-profile scientific founders being involved. The firm incorporates a different strategy depending on the company’s headquarters. For companies based in South Korea, the firm serves as a hands-on, active investor and seeks board representation. In the USA, the firm prefers to be a more passive investor and generally seeks to co-invest with established venture capital firms that have a footprint in the USA.

A strategic investment firm of a large global pharmaceutical makes investments ranging from $5 million to $30 million, acting either as a sole investor or within a syndicate. The firm is open to considering therapeutic opportunities globally, but only if the company is pursuing a market opportunity in the USA and is in dialogue with the US FDA.

The firm invests in therapeutics, and in this sector the firm is interested in both early and late stage assets. The firm will consider any type of therapeutic technology (including small molecules, large molecules and gene therapies), and has a strong preference for investing in orphan drugs and other niche disease areas. It is preferred that indications have validated clinical endpoints and can be studied using small trials. Indications that require large clinical trials, including as cardiovascular diseases, CNS diseases and primary care indications (such as influenza) will not be considered. Drug-device combinations will also be considered.

The firm prefers to work with companies who have opened dialogue with the FDA. The firm considers a high-quality management team to be a significant requirement of their investment criteria. It is preferred that assets can reach the marketplace 3-5 years post-investment.

Hot Mandates

The firm is focused on therapeutics companies and does not invest in medical devices, diagnostics, or digital health. The firm is open to considering assets of very early stages, even those as early as lead optimization phase. The firm considers various modalities, including antibodies, small molecules, and cell therapy. Currently, the firm is not interested in gene therapy. Indication-wise, the firm is most interested in oncology and autoimmune diseases but has recently looked at fibrotic diseases and certain rare diseases as well.

The firm is opportunistic across all subsectors of healthcare. Within MedTech, the firm is most interested in medical devices, artificial intelligence, robotics, and mobile health. The firm is seeking post-prototype innovations that are FDA cleared or are close to receiving clearance. Within therapeutics, the firm is interested in therapeutics for large disease markets such as oncology, neurology, and metabolic diseases. The firm is open to all modalities with a special interest in immunotherapy and cell therapy.

A strategic investment firm of a large global pharmaceutical makes investments ranging from $5 million to $30 million, acting either as a sole investor or within a syndicate. The firm is open to considering therapeutic opportunities globally, but only if the company is pursuing a market opportunity in the USA and is in dialogue with the US FDA.

The firm is currently looking for new investment opportunities in enterprise software, medical devices, and the healthcare IT space. The firm will invest in 510k devices and healthcare IT companies, and it is very opportunistic in terms of indications. In the past, the firm was active in medical device companies developing dental devices, endovascular innovation devices, and women’s health devices.

A venture capital firm founded in 2005 has multiple offices throughout Asia, New York, and San Diego. The firm has closed its fifth fund in 2017 and is currently raising a sixth fund, which the firm is targeting to be the largest fund to date. The firm continues to actively seek investment opportunities across a […]

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